Reviews tagging 'Violence'
The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry That Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak
6 reviews
roses_posy's review
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Torture, Suicide, and Slavery
mondovertigo's review
4.75
Graphic: War, Murder, Child death, Death, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Slavery
lil1inblue's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Moderate: Pregnancy, Rape, Child death, and Miscarriage
awebofstories's review
5.0
I had never heard of Brunhild and Fredegund, even though my degree is in Medieval History (to be fair, "medieval history" is considered by many to start in 800, and these two queens lived during the 6th century). It took Eleanor of Aquitaine to interest me in the medieval world, but she doesn't hold a candle to these two queens.
I learned so much from this book. I ended up taking pages of notes and then regaling my husband with random facts about the Merovingians, which I'm sure he appreciates to no end. But, I'm left wondering why there has never been a movie--or, probably better yet, a prestige TV drama--of these two women. I recently described Brunhild and Fredegund as House of Cards and Game of Thrones, respectively. Who wouldn't want to watch that?
This is not a "history textbook" but rather a work of narrative nonfiction, which is what makes it so accessible to readers. One thing I noticed in so many history books is that historians sometimes get so deep into the weeds that they start to see the people they are studying as chess pieces rather than humans. Puhak not only doesn't fall into that trap but sassily points it out when she finds examples in her research.
While I would recommend this book to anyone, I have this caveat. When writing history or historical narrative nonfiction, the author cannot control the plot's events. This book can be incredibly brutal. Puhak does an admirable job of writing the harder parts with accuracy and compassion, but that doesn't change the fact that this tale has its share of the hard stuff. A reader would need to accept things for what they are: recounting events that happened and that the author has a responsibility, rather than a choice, to depict them.
I have not stopped thinking about this book since I finished it, and I eagerly await someone to bring Brunhild and Fredegund--and this book--to the screen.
Graphic: Torture and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, and Child death
katiemack's review
4.5
I learned a lot about the early modern period in my college history classes and always thought the Tudors and the Stuarts had the most infamously scandalous drama. These two rival sixth-century queens make those families look like kids having petty squabbles.
It's clear that Puhak did a great deal of research for this book (even if, as she claims, it's more a work of narrative nonfiction than an academic treatise on the period). Upon reading the author's note about how little artifacts and primary sources there are for the Merovingian dynasty, her work is even more impressive. Puhak's narrative is informative yet entertaining; I feel like I learned a lot without having to slog through unnecessary details or tedious sidebars.
If you're interested in learning about strong women who have been hidden from history by the patriarchy, this one's for you.
Moderate: Violence and Death
alisonvh's review
5.0
Graphic: War, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault